The Old Guy

I have to admit that even if no one else is there,you will still see strange things and weird people at Norb's tent

The 49 Super had a side mounted engine with the mounts as you describe them. The last Buick with the front mount was the 47.If it is a straight eight Buick engine,it almost has to be the proper one,as the roadmaster engine is too long to fit in a Super engine compartment without some MAJOR reworking of the compartment.

The 401 and 425 have the distributor in the rear

The 91 Ultra is NOT supercharged.

I am not sure of the 36,but the 37-53 small series will accept the front plate from the pre48 engines. The 48 up engines had the side mounts,but you could use the front plate and they would bolt in. 36 may have been all by itself.

If the engines are rebuilt properly, you should hae 15-20 pounds at idle and 40-50 at 2500 RPM. I have put new bearings and rings in 100,000 mile engines and driven them another 60,000 with no problem. Your rebuilder is not doing something right.

They were Buick green from the factory

if the engine sat for 20 years,the rings are probably stuck . They are available through numerous vendors.Most of the GOOD parts stores will be able to get them

If you are going to modify the car, at least have the courtesy of keeping it all Buick. Everybody uses a Chevy small block!! Dare to be different! I have a 455 Buick in my 37 and it is interesting to see how people stop and ask what engine I am running.

Buick spent literally millions more promoting golf than they did on their 100th birthday.

The only earlier 455 was the 70 ,and the only difference was the pistons, which were higher compression. The AC units from 70-76 were pretty much the same ,so you should be able to make any of them work. The 455 was used in all the Electras of that era,so you should be able to find what you need.

I know this is like closing the barn door after the horse runs away, but you should have had the heads magnafluxed when you had them off. I am surprised the machine shop did not suggest it. the Buick engines usually are not prone to air pockets,so it sounds like you do have a head problem

I am confused as to whether you,have the 70 or 72 heads on the engine. The 72 heads had AIR holes that the early B4B would not cover. Thay were on all four ends of the intake. The 70 heads do not have those holes so it is no problem. If you have the early B4B and the 72 heads ,you must remove it and plug the AIR holes or you willl have an engine that will not run properly.

Try: <A HREF="http://www.factoryautomanuals.com" TARGET=_blank>www.factoryautomanuals.com</A> <BR>Dan Bower , the owner will be able to help you

I drive through Flint at least once a week, and I have not had a front end alignment in three years. You just have to be careful

The pilot bearing is not expensive. You can find the number on the shell ,and check a bearing supply. If I remember right it is a 99503,and it shouldn't cost over $10.00.I use the ZZ99503,as it is a sealed bearing.

It is difficult to buy "American" ,as the big three have cars built all over the world,and Mercedes.Toyota,Honda and others build them here in the USA. How do you choose?? That is why I drive "old" Buicks

If you are renewing your membership, you should have the 2001 roster. It lists every Buick and the model number in the back.

I used the Painless system in my 37 street rod,and it worked fine.

I have a 3.31 axle in my 72GS and a 200-4R trans. It gives me the best of both worlds. It runs 13.0s in the quarter mile and pulls 18 MPG at 75

John has a wealth of knowledge that he shares with us and I have NEVER seen a negative remark from him. He is indeed an asset to the board <BR> <BR>Joe Taubitz

It appears to be a 56C or a 66C convertible coupe.

I think you should check to see what is available first. There have been numerous threads in the past from Riv owners that would like a bigger gear , and they have not been able to find anything better than the 3.42 you have. <BR> Good Luck

It has been my experience that if you have rebored the engine,you will have good results with the Moly rings, but the cast rings seat quicker and seem to work better if you are reringing the standard bore. the cast rings will last in most instances for 30,000 miles and most people do not use their antique cars enough to ever wear them out.<p>[ 06-25-2002: Message edited by: The Old Guy ]

I have a lever type oil can that I bent the spout on that I have used for thirty years, but I never thought of the mirror. Thanx for the idea.